Snowball, a Poodle, a Puppy

In following the news reports coming out of Hurricane Katrina's wake, I'm most upset/angry by the dogs, cats, and other animals left behind to fend for themselves. Did the owners leave them extra food and a big bowl of water? Did they leave the door open and expect the pets to fend for themselves? Were they told, "No pets allowed"? (I read that some people refused to leave without their animals.)

One of this morning's papers showed a picture of a dirty standard poodle (looking gaunt) on a pile of debris surrounded by water. Last week, the AP reported on a little boy who, when finally on a bus, found his little dog, Snowball, taken out of his arms in spite of his cries. This weekend, a TV news report showed a national guardsman checking a flooded home for survivors. When he found a black lab puppy overjoyed to be found, he patted it a few times and left. The confused puppy just watched him go...

Reports are now coming in that donations and aid for the animals are on their way, but still.